Avatar Tekeh
by Mr. Munch
Summary: Continuing the Avatar timeline. Korra's time has passed and the cycle begins anew. Meet Tekeh and join him on a less than desirable journey to becoming a fully realized Avatar and reaching his full potential. OC Fic.
1. Avatar Tekeh

I flew out of bed as the entire world shook beneath my feet.

My name is Tekeh, by the way.

What's happening? I'd be explaining that if I weren't answering your questions now wouldn't I? No more for now, let me get back to the Earth rupturing.

Any remnant of grogginess or sleep in my system eroded in a matter of seconds as the small wooden dresser that held most of my clothing disappeared, replaced by a hole and some uncomfortable empty space.

I snatched my coat and half stumbled, half sprinted towards my bedroom door. Then the wall collapsed. That wasn't fun. Now buried under pounds of rubble with more holes appearing in my floor, I was left with a thought.

"Well this is gonna suck"

And so, I promptly fell through my floor hitting the hard tile of my downstairs neighbor's kitchen floor. Needless to say, I was pretty sure I was gonna need an icepack. I made my way towards the balcony, stumbling as the building shifted and swayed, tearing itself to bits.

I made my way (fell) through the shattered remains of the sliding glass door. With unsteady hands I gripped the cold metal bars of the railing and pulled myself up.

I looked on, down the hills and across the expanse of the great city of Ba Sing Se. So, the world was eating itself, that's new.

As my knuckles grew white on the black metal keeping me from a horrible, tragic death and I thought my day couldn't get much worse the echoing started.

 ** _You will fail._**

Sorry, what?

 ** _Time and time and time again you have kept this world at peace, but no longer._**

Who the hell does this disembodied voice think I am? The Avatar?

 ** _You have 5 years. That is when I awaken. 5 years, boy, you cannot do as you have before did. You cannot become realized before my arrival._**

Dude, this is one trippy day.

 ** _This is only a taste. Now go, enjoy the peace while it lasts._**

~0~0~0~

"Augh! Aw…aw what the shit was that dream?"

I sat up and rubbed my head. Yeah, that was a killer hangover. I really should stop going out for drinks after work with the guys. I flopped back onto my sheets and stared up at the ceiling.

For a dream that was really, well, real.

What was that voice telling me? I would fail to stop them from tearing apart the Earth or something? What did that mean? I mean, I'm a pretty decent earth bender but I don't think I could stop something like that. So, disembodied voice-1, Tekeh-0?

Whatever, I should probably have gotten up by now anyways. Big day ahead and I need some food.

As a circled around my bed and moved into the living room of my apartment I affectionately pat my little wooden dresser.

 _'_ _No falling into Mr. Li Sang's apartment for you'_

I grabbed some bread and tossed it in the toaster as I settled into the couch I had received as a housewarming gift from my mother. I should really call her…eh; I'll do it after tryouts later. It'll give me something to talk about while she describes how the garden is doing.

Hm…what time is it anyways? I didn't wake up to my alarm which was weird.

I glanced over to the front door where my clock was stationed.

Oh. Oh that's not good. I'm 2 hours late.

"Ahh, man, I don't wanna bend on an empty stomach," I complained to no one in particular as I jogged back into the bedroom.

~0~0~0~

A few minutes later and I was in my training suit earth-surfing down the busy streets of Ba Sing Se. I ducked and weaved and surfed around and through the crowds.

I caught someone's apple as I cleared out of the market center. Should I feel bad for disturbing the peaceful markets? Probably, but hey, I got breakfast out of it. No complaining here.

A few corner turns later and voila! I was at the end of the…long…long line into the stadium. Good going, Tekeh.

Oh, I'm in line for tryouts.

What do you mean what tryouts? _The tryouts._ For the state's pro-bending team. You don't know about the tournament? Seriously? Where the hell have you people been?

Alright, look. Ever since Avatar Korra's…reign? Era? Whatever you wanna call it, since that period when the Earth Kingdom became a collection of states with a democratic government and the Air Nation began its revival, pro-bending has evolved.

To accommodate for the new air benders getting into the sport the rules shifted. No, there aren't four active players on a team. There are rotating shifts. Three active members in a match with a fourth on standby, you can use any combo you want. Technically you don't even need four teammates.

There are still rules though. Air benders can't just lift someone off the ground and hover them into the water. That's way unfair. They have to knock people off the legal way like rest of us.

Now onto the actual tournament part. So, now that four nations exist, the PBIC (Pro-bending International Committee) finally had an excuse to make an international tournament.

Three teams per nation. Random matchups in an international tournament. All are invited.

Each nation chooses their teams how they like, hence, tryouts.

The Earth Kingdom is pretty damn big (in case that wasn't obvious) and our PB Committee likes to welcome benders from all over to tryout. To diversify the bending styles or something.

So each state has tryouts. They select a team and send them to the capital where they compete in a bigger tournament to select the National Representatives. I'm currently trying out for the Ba Sing Se team (the Capital gets one too).

We're supposed to test our skills against the winners of last year's state tourney. In my case, the Ba Sing Se Boarcupines. AKA Douchebags International.

Oh did I say that?

Good, they are. A bunch of snobby pricks that think they're tough shit because they've been state champs for three years in a row. They're never even chosen for National Reps.

Anyways, if you can take the member of the team down that you have a common element with you take their space. If you can take down the entire team the champs lose their spot and you get to recruit your own choice of members.

While I'd prefer the latter over dealing with those jerks I'd honestly be pretty lucky to take out Puo Mitsong.

Hopefully no one else does before I even get to try.

~0~0~0~

And four hours later it was finally my turn and surprise, surprise. No changes in team lineup.

With the countless Earth benders we had on hand it was a marvel Puo could hold out, but that type of skill only comes with years of experience. Rarely any other benders ever show up anymore so no surprise that the other element positions remained consistent.

"All right kid, name and age please?" a referee asked.

"Tekeh, 19, can I hop up on stage now?"

The ref gave me a patronizing look before nodding towards the arena. I stepped onto that familiar platform and felt it move beneath my feet as we were raised to full height.

Looking around the arena there were more observers than I had figured there would be, perhaps some of the former challengers decided to stick it out with the hardcore fans to watch more fights? Eh, who cares, all I need to do is focus on knocking one of them out.

As we came to a halt I noted the positions of the two active players Puo Mitsong had brought along to prevent him from flying off the back. No surprise there. He had Kotari and Tolla acting as his back up. Fire and Water benders respectively. Each dangerous in their own right but not my worry as I was only focused on Puo.

"Are the two of you ready?" the announcer asked over the telecom.

We nodded, both shifting into ready stances.

"Then let the match…begin!"

The thing about Earth bending is that it's solid. Excellent in defense and a powerhouse on offense. It's not typically thought of as the lithe element. But those thoughts belong to the people who haven't watched Puo Mitsong in action.

I'm fairly sure he could be on his own team if it were allowed.

He threw several punches in the blink of an eye. So fast, the discs of hard earth flying at my torso screamed through the air. Luckily, I had been watching this guy for years. I knew his style, and I knew his weakness.

He tripped people up and caught them off guard with stunning speed for a large man, an Earth bender no less, and when he caught them off balance he went in for the kill. Most wouldn't pay attention to his footwork. Unless you were a PB nerd like me. Earth bending is an element in which footwork can be central. Many of us don't even wear shoes to feel a closer connection to the Earth. That's why Puo Mitsong was something of a glass cannon.

A powerful attacker and light on his feet. He expected to be the one on the offense and always landed the first hit. But not with me.

I punched through the discs and swept a low kick with my feet, sending a disc of my own crashing into the floor in front of him.

And there it was; a look of shock in those brown eyes that told me I had won. He stumbled backwards into the arms of Kotari as I sent a second disc at his torso for the final blow.

Victory felt sweet until I felt my feet slip out from under me and the disc I had sent flying spun off into the water below.

What was that you ask?

Water bending. Illegal water bending. Tolla was slick in his use of ice to trip me up. A small patch too thin for the referees to see quickly melted and snuck its way off the arena.

So that was it. That's how no one had taken down Puo Mitsong. They were cheating. If anyone had even ventured close to tripping him up Tolla would step out of backup and return the favor.

Hell no. I would not be beaten by that smug asshole.

As Puo got back to his feet I drew three discs in either hand. This was a strategy I had planned to unveil when I led the Boarcupines to victory but if I even wanted to get on the team I'd have to do so now. I sent four discs flying with a series of punches. They spun at an angle, each flying to either side of Puo. He brought two of his own discs up with a stomp to defend, but last second, the discs turned heel, changing momentum completely and crashing at the feet of Kotari and Tolla.

The arena was full of shouts and jeers.

What was that kid doing?

Well, before anyone had figured out, two discs were heading to Puo's stomach. But he wasn't stupid. He didn't get that far by cheating alone. With a heel kick, my attack spun out, joining the original disc into the water.

What he didn't block however, were the two mini discs hidden behind the ones I had just sent out.

See, I'm a smart guy and I split one disc in half, creating two smaller ones to hide behind the normal regulation discs. Tekeh-1 and the Boarcupines-0. Puo flew off the arena platform and crashed into the water with a shout.

Sometimes being a nerd helps.

"The winner is Tekeh! He has taken the seemingly unbeatable Puo Mitsong's place as Earth bender on the Ba Sing Se Boarcupines, unless of course…he plans on taking on the whole team?" the announcer roared.

The arena that had been filled only moments before with screams and applause drew silent at that question.

Would the upstart push his luck and create a new team? Or fall in line with the Boarcupines.

Duh. I'm sure as hell not risking my spot now. Maybe next year, fella.

I turned to the announcer's box with a smirk, all ready to give him my answer, and then, the funniest thing happened. A sheet of ice sliced through my back.

"NO YOU DON'T!" Tolla roared with hands at the ready.

Whoa there, didn't exactly expect a rampaging water bender to attack. Is that why blood was dripping everywhere?

"NO ONE BEATS THE BOARCUPINES! NO ONE!" he roared once more.

And so another volley was sent my way.

Now here's the crazy part. In all the odd things that happened in those few minutes. Me beating Puo. Tolla's temper tantrum. And the fact that Kotari was actually trying to stop him from killing me. The strange thing was that when I put my arms in a cross before my face, ready for them to be sliced off at the forearms, I felt nothing.

I heard a ton, though.

"That's…not possible!?"

"How's he doing that?"

"We've been searching for nearly two decades!"

"Is that Earth bender Water bending?!"

I opened my eyes and found something strange indeed.

The sheets of ice were floating inches from my arms, in perfect stasis.

Well that was new.

I let out a noise somewhere between a shout and a yelp and slammed my arms to my side, sending the sheets of ice crisscross over the sides of the arena.

"L-ladies and gentlemen of Ba Sing Se…in all my years I never thought to expect this! Just when we'd given up hope that Korra was the last Avatar…bow! Bow before Avatar Tekeh!"

As Tolla, a look of anger, resentment, shock and awe stretched across his face bowed before me next to Kotari followed by the bowing of several hundred Earth Kingdom citizens around the arena only one thought came to mind.

 _'_ _That dream was some sort of prophecy, wasn't it?'_

~0~0~0~

And so, I'm the Avatar…yeah…that's gonna take some time to get used to.

I mean, how am I the Avatar? I'm a kid that from the outskirts of Zaofu, I'm no spiritual bridge between worlds! That was Avatar Aang, hell that was even Avatar Korra after a while! That's not me…well…it use to not be me.

"Hey, kid, or uh, Avatar?" a voice called.

I looked to my left and spotted the chief of police who was promptly called after some water bender tried to kill the Avatar. Said water bender was now in cuffs along with his teammates behind the chief.

"Uh, yeah, you can just call me Tekeh," I responded.

The chief sighed and opened a vanilla folder. "I'm just gonna call ya kid, so Larry, Curly and Moe over there have been suspended indefinitely from the pro-bending game, whether or not you wanna press charges is up to you, either way they're spending the night behind bars, I'll leave this with you," he said passing me the case report.

I grunted in response and looked at the group that had almost cheated me out of victory and nearly killed me. Poor chumps. Then again, I almost became sliced Tekeh served with fries. I grumbled and pinched my nose as I handed to the case file back to the chief as he ushered the group out.

"Nah, take it, not pressing charges, I'll be busy enough without a court case on my mind."

The chief looked at me cautiously for a moment before shrugging and snatching the file from my fingers as he and his team ushered away the former Ba Sing Se reps.

I groaned and spun on my heels, walking back into the stadium. If I didn't have some magical, spirit bridging destiny there's no way in hell I wouldn't be lavishing in the tears of Tolla as he was banned from pro-bending and I made bank off of the court case.

Screw you morals.

~0~0~0~

I plopped down on a bench my hands running through my thick hair and my heart beating a thousand miles a minute.

THE AVATAR.

What in God's name did I do to be chosen as the Avatar?

I've already received a message to head to the palace immediately and I'm sure the press are scratching and clawing up the stadium walls trying to get a picture of me.

When did my life become a circus?

I mean, I wanted fame, sure. But I just wanted to be known for being a great pro-bender. Get rich and maybe buy my mom a house. Now I'm forming an entire new bending team, fending off the press and I have to learn three other elements!

I need to get out. Maybe go for a walk and clear my head.

~0~0~0~

Ahh, the city at night. Nothing like a stroll through the park in Ba Sing Se on a clear evening. The air, the aromas, the chirp of insects as the man, actually it's a woman, in the moon rose in the sky.

A nice, peaceful time to myself. Possibly the last for a long time.

As I fell on my back on a hill, the Earth cushioning my fall, I wondered what could make my night any more serene.

Then I heard the singing.

It was clear, melodic, enticing. I hadn't been so attracted to something since I found out Cabbage Corp was making cookies. Healthy, delicious cookies made of cabbage? Sign me the hell up.

Err, anyways, the voice.

I made a nod forwards with my chin and the Earth bent, pushing me to an upright position before returning to its original state.

I looked all around, the world surrounding darker than ever as a patch of clouds blocked out the moonlight. And so, I resorted to my hearing. I made my way down a path I usually walked on my way back from work. It was lovely really; the flower petals on the trees scattered and fell to make a beautiful rain of color. And right alongside a glimmering lake too.

I stopped along the lakebed, leaning back against a tree, as the mystery woman finished a verse. She was close; I could feel her presence, the vibrations of her feet echoing through the Earth.

I know this is gonna sound like some sort of rom-com but in that moment the moonlight broke through the clouds and illuminated the woman standing ankle deep in the water, her rippling behind her like a wave.

Needless to say, I fell apart completely.

She was the most angelic thing I'd ever come across. Her form was delicate, and small, I half expected her to take flight into and leave the world behind. The moonlight reflected in the stony gray of her eyes, no…no those eyes were more a thunderstorm in the summer. Her hair was dark and flowing behind her.

My jaw had never dropped so low. I was completely smitten. No childhood crush, I was in love. Never before had a woman completely rendered me unable to speak. My heart, still coming off of a nice resting period sporadically began to try and burst out of my chest and towards the figure in the night.

"A-ahm, heos…er uh! I-" was my brilliant attempt at letting her in on my existence.

She snapped her mouth shut and spun around, hair like a whip behind her.

Oh boy had I chosen a woman. Her eyes were wide, a hand gripping her heart. Her cheeks were bright red, safe to say she hadn't intended to be heard.

"O-oh!" she said after opening and closing her mouth several times.

And she was just as awkward as me. I'm taken ladies, sorry but ol' Tekeh is off the market.

I dug my nails into the palms of my hands until I could feel blood. The pain somewhat compensated for my absolute inability to comprehend the figure in front of me.

"H-hi! I'm Tekeh…you have a real swell voice!" I squeaked.

Real swell? Real swell what the hell is wrong with me?

The blush adorning those pale cheeks turned a shade of red I only assumed existed within volcanoes.

"Thanks I've been speaking since I was two!" she responded.

How cute. Something I would only find out later from said woman is that she was going through the same internal humiliation I was. Speaking since I was two, ha!

"So…y-your name…what would that be?" Smooth.

She took a deep breath and seemed to get her embarrassment under control, lucky. "I'm Hei Jin…you said you were Tekeh?" she said.

I nodded.

She leaped in the air and started patting her sides rapidly.

"Oh come on! I had one somewhere, come on! Come on! Ah! Here!"

She rushed over to me, her feet spraying lake water as she trot in front of me. She held up a small notepad, eyes twinkling.

"You're the new captain of the Ba Sing Se Boarcupines! OhmygoshI'vebeenwatchingprobendingmatchessinceIwasalittlekidI'msoexcitedtoseenewtalentlikeyou!Ican'twaittoseewhatyoudowiththeteamit'sI'vegotseasonticketsoI'llbetheretoseethenationalreptourneyintenmonths!SoIguessI'mtryingtosay, can I have your autograph?" she said in a matter of about fifteen seconds.

I stared at the girl as she mumbled on and on about pro-bending and couldn't help but laugh. That was a mistake. As I opened my eyes I saw the defeated look in her eyes and she began to walk away.

"A-ah, wait a second!" I said reaching out for her wrist.

Then the ground exploded.

~0~0~0~

 **So there it is! My personal Avatar story! I've been re-experiencing the series recently and this popped into my mind and I'm loving it. The OC stories are really getting fun for me. First Kisai and Kieshi and now Tekeh!**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed! Make sure to review! Love hearing thoughts (try to avoid flamin' though, wouldn't wanna have to start up a roast session).**


	2. The Mole

**New chapter incoming! Hope you've been enjoying Tekeh! Avatar is one of my favorite cartoons of all time and I'm really hoping to have been doing this series justice. Enjoy!**

 **~0~0~0~**

Ow. Damn, that hurts.

Sorry, yeah, ground was blowing up in my face; I'll get back to that.

I had just gone to grab Hei Jin's wrist and the pavement a few feet away erupted and sent the two of us flying over the lake.

I closed my eyes as I was expecting a swim and some gross wet socks but instead I continued to feel the air dance across my skin and through my hair.

Cracking the left one I estimated I was hovering about twenty feet or so above the lake and still jetting towards the opposite shore. I felt something tighten around my wrist and upon inspection found Hei Jin's fingers.

"C-could you stop moving? You're really heavy!" she grunted.

Oh. This is interesting. The girl I fell for is flying.

"Sorry…uh, you seem to have forgotten to mention the flying thing a moment ago," I noted.

She glared down at me. I'm going to assume it was because of the strain of keeping us both afloat and not for my poor timing. "Not flying! Just falling way slower than we should be!"

"That still doesn't make much sense."

"I'm an air-bender you moron!"

Dang. Those are rare.

Before I got to impress her with more linguistic flamboyance my feet touched the ground and we tumbled along the lakebed. Despite the anonymous attacker and completely embarrassing myself it was a decent first flight.

"Why is someone attacking us!?" she shouted, jumping to her feet.

I palmed the ground and a miniature pillar pulled me to my feet.

"I dunno! Last time it was coz' I beat a guy in the arena, maybe some crazed fan hunted me down? Or are you some sort of criminal and the police are after us?" I called back.

Gents, a word of advice, when you're trying to make a nice impression on a girl, don't ask her if she's a wanted criminal.

"What!? No! If I were a criminal why would I have saved you from a wet jog home!? I just moved to Ba Sing Se, I'm blaming whoever or whatever is attacking us on you!" she said, jabbing her index finger towards me.

I shook my head and brushed a lock of hair from my face. "Hey, look I'm sorry for the criminal thing, I'm weird around pretty girls, I guess, you're kind of the first one I've had an issue with, but I'm gonna go kick that thing's butt, you in our out?" I asked ever so suavely with a hand extended.

She looked like she was mulling over whether she should blast me into the lake or run away before nodding and grabbing my hand.

 _'_ _Ignore the fact that she's holding your hand, Tekeh, we have a beating to give'_ I thought as I rocketed us across the lake.

~0~0~0~

Hei Jin slowed our fall as we approached our original spot on the other side of the lake where a rather plump figure awaited.

"How considerate of you to come back! I'd really appreciate it if the guy I'm supposed to take out would not run away from a fight!" he screamed.

I crossed my arms and raised a brow. Seriously? This was the guy that had launched me a few hundred yards?

He was a good head and a half shorter than Hei Jin who wasn't exactly tall to begin with. He had a swindler's mustache and his brow was thick. Speaking of thick, he was pretty tubby, I'm pretty sure he'd make a great beach ball. He wore a dark gray blazer along with black cargo pants and boots. Wanted to blend into the shadows I suppose. Around his head was a dark hood restricting his hair, though one curly lock broke free.

"Who said I'm running? You're the one that made the path explode."

He looked bewildered for a moment before shaking his head and stomping his feet. "Yeah! That's all part of the plan you see! I'm to assassinate the Avatar!" And with that, he shot a rock at my face.

I crossed my arms as it broke upon contact and sighed. I'd been Avatar for two hours and I already had creeps trying to kill me.

"Avatar?" Hei Jin said as she sent a gust of air his way, "I thought the Avatar cycle ended years ago?"

I chuckled awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, me too, but surprise! Now I'm the captain of a pro-bending team, _and_ responsible for protecting the entire world!" I said with my arms wide, a fake smile plastered across my face.

Hei Jin leapt above another rock and landed gracefully, "That would have been nice to know."

I opened my mouth to respond and a high-pitched screech reminded me of what was happening.

"Don't ignore me, Avatar! Your reign over this world is over! My lord will have you killed and return this world to its original state before the time of the Avatar! He'll-"

Before he could finish Hei Jin shot him into the tree above, "Jeez he's annoying."

I really like this girl.

The plump man dropped from the tree with a groan. The top button of his blazer had popped off and a few more locks of dark hair had escaped the restraint of his hood.

"Grah!" he whined stomping his feet like a child once more. "I told the boss I needed backup!"

As Hei Jin and I watched the short man throw a temper tantrum a spotlight broke through the dark sky and plastered the ground as intense gusts of wind battered down on us.

"Freeze!" Oh great, metalbenders.

The three of us looked to the source of the spotlight and watched as metallic wires were dropped from either side of the zeppelin and multiple metal-benders began to slide down.

"Grah! My luck! This isn't the last you've seen of Rellil! No sir! Victory will be ours!" The now identified Rellil cried as he leapt in the air, flipped and broke through the ground, the hole sealing up behind him like some sort of mole.

So much for the arrest.

"The two of you are going to need to come with us."

Oh joy.

~0~0~0~

"For the last time, he attacked us and I don't know why! Can I go now? I just wanna go home and pass out on my bed."

I was in the middle of questioning by Ba Sing Se Police Chief Meng. Meng was a man of average height and build with dark brown eyes and light complexion. His hair was cut short, likely to prevent tangling with his metal wires and on his chest plate he bore the insignia of Ba Sing Se.

"Fine, but you're still due a fine for the property damage to the park, oh, and the mayor's office has sent for you first thing tomorrow morning," he replied.

Meng handed me a slip detailing the expenses I'd be forced to pay and sent me off with a wave to collect my things.

I picked up my wallet and pro-bending license from the counter and thumped down the stairs onto the still busy streets of Ba Sing Se. What a bummer of a day.

I stifled a yawn with the back of my hand and started heading with the flow of the traffic. For some reason as headlights rolled past I remembered a game I played with my mother back in school. I could hear her voice in my head.

 _Count the lights now, Tekeh. It's ten headlights to home._

Of course, it never was. But for some reason counting the headlights on our walk home would always cool my head after a frustrating day. What better time to reuse old destressing techniques than the day you find out you're the Avatar?

So, I began, "One…two…three…"

"Why are you counting car lights?"

I stopped and spun on my heels.

"Hei Jin? Why are you following me, I mean, you're welcome to stalk me but I'd like to know why?"

She sighed and leaned back on her feet. "Did you think I'd let you run off after an attempted assassination without an autograph?"

I chuckled and rubbed my neck, "Oh yeah, just so it's on the record, I was going to give you one."

She smirked and raised her brow, "Well, for the record, now I'm getting two, one from the pro-bending captain and another from the Avatar, just imagine how much cash I can make selling off the first signed material from Avatar Tekeh," she said with a sweeping gesture.

I smiled down at her and glanced over my shoulder where I was heading. "Listen, I've had, a _difficult_ day and really just wanna head back to my crappy apartment and get some sleep…can I get a raincheck on that autograph?"

She danced on her toes around me with a slight breeze, "As it so happens, I'm heading this way too, how about we scrap the autographs all together and we talk pro-bending, I'm itching to see who you're considering for the team."

~0~0~0~

The moon had risen fully by the time we reached my apartment, and the neighbors had certainly had enough of pro-bending talk coming from the staircase for the night.

"Alright, alright, regardless of who you choose as your water-bending teammate (even though Goh is a total sledgehammer with ice) you should definitely get someone you trust enough to teach you."

I smiled at her and rested my elbows on my knees, "Well I'm going to need a fire-bending teacher first…ah, man…when did my life get so ridiculous?"

There was a pregnant moment of silence.

"Sometime this morning if what you've told me is true…that's just how life works, alright? You don't know why or when but it moves itself along and there's nothing you can do about it except work with what you have."

I looked into her gray eyes and instantly felt the tsunami of emotion rush forward. I _really_ liked this girl. My cheeks heated to inhuman levels and I stood up and stretched.

"Thanks for the pointers, you're definitely a way bigger nerd than me, but I'm gonna have to call it a night." I began to make my way up the stairs when a burst of wind hit my left shoulder and spun me violently back towards the street.

Hei Jin had a hand on her hip and most gorgeous smile on her face, "I'll see you around, kay? I'm coming to every practice! I think Ba Sing Se's finally got a shot with you in charge!"

And with that, she jogged off into the night.

I entered my apartment building and clenched a fist over my rapid heart rate. Man, if she was going to be at every practice I'd really need to stop making eye contact with her. I didn't need to be blasted from the arena because I was caught up in the audience.

But that's an issue for another day.

~0~0~0~

The cavern was dark and damp. The only noise the constant dribble of fluid as it followed the path gravity had set for it. The eerie pattern was disrupted gradually by a small rumbling. Slowly it grew until with a drill-like twirl a short man burst from the floor and landed on stubby legs.

"Grah! Grah! Graaaaah!" the man roared, sending fluid flying as he stamped his feet. This man was Rellil, the mole-like earth-bender accused of assaulting two people in a park earlier that night.

"My lord…I have failed you, I should be punished! Punished for denying you the Avatar's blood. Leave me to rot in the sewers, my lord!" he groaned to the emptiness.

 ** _Pick yourself up…_**

The voice was nothing more than a whisper infecting the man's head.

"But my lord! I've wronged you! I do not deserve to be your servant!" Rellil cried.

 ** _Your task was to kill the Avatar…you have a lifetime to do so…now listen closely…I have a venture for you…_**

And once more the mole-man was lost to the bittersweet rasp of the voice. It had been in his dreams, his every waking moment for weeks. And he had finally understood.

He was a prophet. It was his duty to usher in a new age of spiritual blessings upon the world. So long as he obeyed his lord.

 ** _Now tell me…Rellil…can you do this for your lord…_**

He smiled, revealing his slightly pointed, slightly yellowed teeth.

And that was all the answer he needed to give.


End file.
